This invention relates to jump starting techniques for a land-based vehicular propulsion system equipped with two or more sources of electrical energy.
A wide variety of devices, such as jump starters and battery chargers, are known for starting vehicles that have a dead battery and for charging batteries. Unfortunately, such devices are generally external to the vehicle, and thus, assuming the operator has access to such an external device, the operator needs to go through cumbersome procedures to safely connect the jumper wires to perform the jump-starting.
In vehicles that use two or more sources of electrical energy, it would be desirable to provide self-contained jump-starting techniques that are quick, reliable, convenient, foolproof, and inexpensive for internally jump starting and charging any source that may be experiencing a fault, such as low-voltage condition, in order to successfully perform a cranking event.
In accordance with aspects of the present invention, method and system are provided that allow determining in a vehicle having two or more sources of electrical energy what corrective action needs to be undertaken in the event one of the energy sources, due to malfunctions and/or environmental conditions, may not be able to carry through a cranking event. The system, by way of a bi-directional DC/DC converter, has the capability to transfer electrical energy in either direction between the energy sources. The system includes a controller configurable with computer-readable logic or intelligence that enables the controller to make a decision based on appropriate source parameters, e.g., temperature, to automatically determine when, where, and how much energy needs to be transferred. This decision will enhance the opportunity to successfully perform the next starting or cranking event.
Generally, the present invention fulfills the foregoing needs by providing in one aspect thereof a method for automatically jump-starting an internal combustion engine (e.g., gasoline or diesel engine) of a land-based vehicle using equipment on-board the vehicle. The method allows providing at least two distinct sources of electrical energy on-board the vehicle. The method further allows monitoring each of the at least two distinct sources to determine the occurrence of a fault condition in any respective one of the two sources. The fault condition may be indicative of inability of the one source to perform an engine cranking event. A determination is made as to whether a state-of-charge in the other one of the two sources is sufficient to supply an amount of electrical energy selected for re-energizing the respective one of the two sources with the fault condition to a predetermined level of re-energization in order to successfully perform the engine cranking event. A re-energization strategy is selected based on the respective characteristics of the source to supply the electrical energy relative to the source to be re-energized. An engine cranking event is performed to start the internal combustion engine of the vehicle. The cranking event is performed once the one source being re-energized has reached the predetermined level of re-energization.
The present invention further fulfills the foregoing needs by providing in another aspect thereof, a system for automatically jump-starting an internal combustion engine of a land-based vehicle using equipment on-board the vehicle.
The system includes at least two distinct sources of electrical energy on-board the vehicle. The system further includes a monitor configured to monitor each of the at least two distinct sources to determine the occurrence of a fault condition in any respective one of the two sources. The fault condition is generally indicative of inability of the one source to perform an engine cranking event. A controller is configured to determine whether a state-of-charge in the other one of the two sources is sufficient to supply an amount of electrical energy selected for re-energizing the respective one of the two sources with the fault condition to a predetermined level of re-energization in order to successfully perform the engine cranking event. The controller is further configured to select a re-energization strategy based on the respective characteristics of the source to supply the electrical energy relative to the source to be re-energized, and wherein an engine cranking event is performed to start the internal combustion engine of the vehicle once the one source being re-energized has reached the predetermined level of re-energization.